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Updated: June 13, 2025
I shall tell her of your virtue, your beauty and modesty, of your singing, which is so sweet that even the nightingale is silent in order to listen to it, of your love and tenderness. But all this I shall tell her belongs to the divine Cypris, and when she cries, 'O Aphrodite, could I but see thee! I too shall kiss my sister." "Hark, what was that? Melitta surely clapped her hands.
Sappho followed Melitta into the palace, first whispering in her husband's ear with her arm round his neck: "Tell my grandmother everything and ask whether you are right." Before he could answer, she had stopped his mouth with a kiss, and then hurried after the old woman who was departing with dignified steps.
"What is this, my child?" Melitta trembled and had a falsehood ready on her lips, but Sappho, throwing herself into her grandmother's arms, embraced her tenderly and told the whole story of her love. Rhodopis turned pale, ordered Melitta to leave the chamber, and, placing herself in front of her grandchild, laid both hands on her shoulders and said earnestly, "Look into my eyes, Sappho.
Sappho, therefore, had to take a short farewell of her grandmother, all the more tender, however, for its shortness, and then, led by Rartja and followed by old Melitta, who was to accompany her to Persia, she went on board Syloson's boat. After an hour's sail they reached a beautifully-built and fast-sailing vessel, the Hygieia, which belonged to Kallias.
Through the door of the country-house, now so well known to us, two female figures have just passed; Melitta, the old slave, and Sappho, the grandchild of Rhodopis. The latter is not less lovely now, than when we saw her last, asleep.
"Yes; hour after hour I thought, 'now he must be coming. Sometimes I went into the garden in the morning and looked towards your home in the East, and a bird flew towards me from thence and I felt a twitching in my right eyelid; or when I was putting my box to rights and found the laurel crown which I put by as a remembrance, because you looked so well in it, Melitta says such wreaths are good for keeping true love then I used to clap my hands with joy and think, 'to-day he must come; and I would run down to the Nile and wave my handkerchief to every passing boat, for every boat I thought must be bringing you to me."
At last she came into the arbor to wish them good-morning, and bestowed much praise on old Melitta for appearing at the right moment, parasol in hand, to take her charge out of the sunshine before it became too bright and hot, and put her to sleep.
Melitta opened the gate and admitted a youth splendidly apparelled, and with fair curling hair. It was Bartja, and Sappho was so lost in wonder at his beauty, and the Persian dress, to her so strange, that she remained motionless in her hiding-place, her eyes fixed on his face. Just so she had pictured to herself Apollo with the beautiful locks, guiding the sun-chariot.
As the two approached the house, they discovered that the noise which had awakened the old slave, proceeded from the guests, who were preparing for departure. Urging her to make the greatest haste, Melitta pushed the frightened girl into the house, took her at once to her sleeping-room, and was beginning to undress her when Rhodopis entered. "You are still up, Sappho?" she asked.
"Oh, I shall write long, long letters, and charge every wind with loving messages for you." "Yes, do so, my darling; and as to the letters, give them to the messenger who will bring Nitetis tidings from Egypt from time to time." "Where shall I find him?" "I will see that a man is stationed at Naukratis, to take charge of everything you send to him. All this I will settle with Melitta."
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